Intumescent Paint vs. Cementitious Coating As Fireproofing!

Modern methods of passive fire protection typically fall under two categories: Lightweight cementitious coating, and intumescent paints.

Each of these methods has its own advantages, disadvantages, and applications, but the progress of technology over the past few years has seen intumescent paints slowly take over from cementitious products as the primary method of fire protection. 

In this article, we’re going to discuss the pros and cons of each coating, and help you figure out which method you should adopt for your next construction project in the UAE.

Cementitious Coatings

Lightweight cementitious coatings originated sometime around the mid-20^th century when people were already using dense concrete as a means of fireproofing their structures. 

Dense concrete was excellent at increasing the fire rating of steel buildings, but its heavy weight posed far too many problems for designers at the time.

Extra steel had to be provided throughout the structure to support the added weight, which increased costs and made it a less-than-ideal solution heading into the modern world. 

In response, lightweight cement-based coatings were created, which were not quite as heavy as dense concrete, and hence, cheaper to use and easier to apply.

Today, these coatings remain a relatively inexpensive and popular material for fireproofing buildings, especially in dry environments where the surface won’t be exposed to moisture.

Pros

• Extremely affordable 
• Lightweight

 Cons

• Space is inevitably created between the coating and the steel, allowing moisture to sink in.
•  This moisture in-turn corrodes the substrate

Intumescent paint

Intumescent paint operates on a different principle than the cementitious coating.

Rather than providing a thick barrier between the steel and the fire, these paints expand and char in the presence of heat, swelling up to almost 25 times their original thickness. 

This expansion process increases the volume and lowers the density of the substrate, slowing down the heating process on the material inside and allowing it to remain structurally stable for longer periods of time. 

Withcareful applications, fire ratings of over 2 hours for steel structure sand of 30 minutes for wooden structures have been achieved!

Pros

• Much easier to apply
• Fewer labor costs involve
• No gaps are created between the coat and the steel, minimizing the substrate’s exposure to moisture

Cons

• The paint is highly sensitive to environmental exposure at the time of application
• Can be extremely expensive if multiple coats need to applied

Which one do you choose?

Both methods of fire protection have their own merit, but professional fire companies in the UAE recommend using intumescent paint on the majority of your projects. 

Lightweight cementitious coatings can be extremely useful in certain situations, but they add a layer of cement on top of the steel which ruins its look, and the added weight will mean design changes must be made. 

In contrast, intumescent paints preserve the natural beauty of steel, enhance its fire rating by a very impressive margin, and they’re much easier to apply!